I've read that you can tell if you have the factory short shifter or the regular shifter based on the color of the shift lever. I've got an '02 wagon with a 5speed. The color of the metal of the shift lever is sort of a yellowish color. Does this mean I have a factory short shifter or do I have a regular shifter?

 

no offense but this is kind of a bad question. you should know weather or not you have a short shifter. they are uaually 30-40% shorter. and by yellowish, do you mean bronze? if so, yes you have a factory shifter.

 

So I should know what factory options were chosen on a car that I purchased used from a non-subaru dealership?

Or is it that I should know what 30-40% shorter throw is in reference to other subarus with a normal shift throw that I haven't driven because my subaru is the only subaru I have driven?

As far as the color goes, I'm not sure I'd call it bronze, it's more like the color of gold to tell it accurately, maybe a very pale brass color.

Is the factory short shifter really a 30-40% reduction? I was under the impression that the factory short shifter was more like 10%... though I'm fairly new to subarus.

 

I doubt the factory short shifter really is that short but i may be wrong. Anyways the stock shift lever is thick after the threadings and SS is skinny

 

Thanks, that means I have a factory short shifter I guess. Thanks for the straight forward answer.

 

Take a look at this Kartboy short shifter install at ScoobyMods.com. My OEM shift lever for my '02 WRX matches the one in the pic. It has a nylon ball end that fits into the socket in the floor plate. The Kartboy shifter has a steel ball end, which is what I installed. Neither one is bronze-colored or has a gold-colored finish, at least on the parts that I have.

0==WW==0
"…axles of evil…" - george w. bush

 

i didnt mean to be an ***. sorry. and i didnt know you bought it from a non-subaru dealership. my shifter was bronze, so thats what i was going off of.

 

As far as I can tell, absolutely nothing has been done to the car as far as aftermarket stuff goes, so I would assume this is a factory shifter of some kind... it doesn't get wider at all after the threads for the shift **** it seems. I guess if I order the bushings and stuff for the factory short shifter and it ends up I don't have one (the shift length doesn't feel that short to me so I doubt this is the case) I can always just resell them or return them or something.

 

why dont you just buy a kartboy shifter w/ bushings? when i changed mine out (shifter and bushings) there was a big difference. it felt tighter and i could 'feel' more. and it was a shorter shift.

 

Well I'm also planning on changing the linkage bushings. Also, you need to get a kit for a 97-01 impreza versus a 02+ impreza if you have the factory short shifter if I'm reading information correctly.

 

Hi i'm kinda new to this forum, so sorry if i posted the question in the wrong place. but i'm wondering if i can put a Kartboy Short shifter for impreza 06 model on my car. Also does it make a big difference if i don't install the Kartboy bushings, cuz i'm not sure i would know how to install in properly.

 

www.kartboy.com doesn't list an application for a 2007 Impreza (yet) but if in doubt just email them at sales@kartboy.com. The existing lever for the 2006 model probably works but I wouldn't order one without first verifying.

Most members feel that the bushings makes more difference than the shifter but I installed the shifter first, then the bushings, and felt that the opposite was true. The shift lever changes the pivot point in the mechanism, resulting in greater required effort and reduced shifter throw (distance). The bushings reduces the slop that is normally present by using a harder material instead of the OEM soft rubber bushing. I think it's nice to install both pieces for a better 'feel'.

Bushing installation is relatively simple and requires no specialized tools other than common tools. See my earlier post for a link to the Scoobymods tutorial on shift lever and bushing installation.